what I am NOT hearing

- What conditions are we working towards? How many Iraqi brigades? What determines if the Iraqi brigades are ready? How is the Iraqi infrastructure? Is the power on 24/7 now? What about the water?

- What state is the Iraqi police in? What is the goal for them? Where do they stand now? How do we get them to where we need them to be?

- How many neighborhoods are safe? What determines a safe one? What would it take to get those neighborhoods safe on a permanent basis?

- What specifics are there toward political reconciliation? What issues are there? Are they talking? Who needs to be talking? What can be done to get people to talk? What does reconciliation look like?

- What should the Iraqi Govt be doing that they are not? What have they done in the past year? Are they meeting today? What have they talked about?

That we provide to the Iraqis?

I have heard we give them this really ancient crap. While the insurgents have weapons that are much more up to date.

They couldn't before. Not in these numbers. Soldiers were not being killed by rockets and mortars in the GZ a few months ago like this. Were they?